


we're able to be just you and me

by almanacs



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Brief mentions of Busan Line friendship, Childhood Friends, Daniel is extra whipped, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Hwang Minhyun/Ong Seongwoo, platonic 2park, side pairings include:, they're both stupid, woojin is Whipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 15:36:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13720716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/almanacs/pseuds/almanacs
Summary: Falling in love with your best friend has to be the biggest cliché. Good thing Woojin's a sucker for rom-coms.





	we're able to be just you and me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [991102](https://archiveofourown.org/users/991102/gifts).



> dear recipient: thank you for having such fun prompts to pick and choose from! ngl when i saw the prompts initially, i was like !!!! I MUST WRITE FOR THIS PERSON and the Gods answered me. i tried to fit in as many as i could and i hope i did them justice in some form. you have been a pleasure to write for <3
> 
> title from the greatest showman - rewrite the stars

When Woojin moves to Seoul from Busan, he imagines endless possibilities. Getting on the honour roll, forging unforgettable friendships, and drinking out late on weekends. The whole college experience.

Instead, Woojin shows up late to his ungodly morning economics class with Starbucks on hand and a murmured apology. His professor eyes Woojin with obvious disdain and Woojin takes it as a cue to quietly slide into an empty seat at the back.

“Tenth time this semester you’re late, Woojin,” Jihoon whispers from the seat beside him, eyes glued to the notebook in front of him, pretending to scribble something when Woojin knows he’s doing anything but listening. 

Closer to twelve, probably. But who’s counting? Not Woojin. “Are you stalking me?” He pulls out his laptop and opens up Neopets. Pretty fitting that his pet Pteri is dying. Woojin too, feels like he’s suffering. He goes to feed Sparrow_99 some hearty pepperoni omelettes. 

“Of course,” Jihoon deadpans, throwing an exhausted look over. “Who the fuck wants to wake up for an 8:30am class with no one to yap at you consistently so you can stay awake. Because of your tardy ass, I’ve been coming to class with two cups of coffee! And before you even ask, _no_ , I will not give you my notes.”

“Aw, c’mon! You’re my only friend in this class. I would do the same for you, Jihoon. I would take a bullet for you.” Woojin adds the last part and puts a hand over Jihoon’s heart to show how desperate and sincere he truly is. 

Although Seoul wasn’t exactly what Woojin imagined, he really is glad Jihoon’s been there for him. Despite getting off to a rocky start thanks to Woojin’s passive aggressive ass (‘Sure wish I could see the bottom of our sink’ note taped on the fridge), their friendship solidified when Jihoon offered to buy Woojin a meal after using up his weekly meal swipe quota. Now, they’re inseparable. 

Jihoon glares at him but he just ends up looking like a cute, pouty kitten so Woojin pinches his cheek. How can he resist?

“Fuck you and everything you live for,” Jihoon _actually_ hisses, earning them a couple of curious and disturbed stares, and then he returns to writing absolutely nothing. 

Honour roll? Forget it. He’d be lucky enough to pass unless the professor curves the exam.

Unforgettable friendships? Maybe. If Jihoon would give him the time of day.

Drunk outings? Coffee as a means of survival seems better, anyways. Cheaper, too.

So Woojin does what he knows best and kicks back to play a couple rounds of Meerca Chase until the professor dismisses them. 

Afterwards, Woojin quickly bids Jihoon goodbye while shoving his laptop back into his bag. “I’ll see you later tonight.”

“Where are you going? We have a project to do.” Jihoon frantically waves a booklet in front of his face. Woojin gives him a blank stare.

“I don’t like that you’re pretending to be studious when you and I both know that you’re going to go home and play games.”

“Fine,” Jihoon admits while crossing his arms. “At least my excuse is probably better than yours. Let’s hear it.”

He starts fiddling with the strap on his bag and prepares for the worst. “I’m just going to see Daniel-”

“Oh! Daniel, huh?” Jihoon’s unimpressed frown transforms into a smirk. He shrugs, pushing past him so Woojin is forced to follow him out the door and into the brightly lit quad. All of the tables are occupied by students and professors alike, catching up on work between classes. They weave through crowds of people running towards their next class. Woojin almost bumps into a tree trying to catch up to Jihoon. 

“It’s not like that,” Woojin explains, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. He doesn’t know why he feels the need to explain anything because well--there’s nothing to explain, right? 

After all, they’re just friends. Seeing friends.

They stop by a small cafe on campus and Woojin is more than familiar with this establishment than he’d like to admit. A long line forms behind them, exhaustion heavy on everyone’s faces and Woojin oddly feels kin to strangers.

Jihoon turns around with an evil smile. “I wasn’t insinuating anything.”

“Shut up. Your last name is liar and your first name is big.” 

“Sure, and your full name is ‘I Have a Huge Crush on Kang Dan-”

Woojin puts a finger up to Jihoon’s lips. “Shhhhhh, don’t speak of the devil’s name.” 

Jihoon whacks the finger away in annoyance. “Whatever. Just go on your date and please come home early. I’m gone this weekend so I’d like to have some kind of head start on this, at least. God knows we procrastinate way too often.” 

Woojin drags his hand down his face and groans. “Fine, whatever! Just stop staring me down with your less than innocent eyes. It’s nauseating.” 

Jihoon winks at him obnoxiously, a gesture to rile Woojin up more than anything. “Tell Daniel I said hi.”

As a loving gesture between two brothers, Woojin gives him the middle finger and stomps off with Jihoon cackling behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
You see, Jihoon isn’t wrong. 

Woojin has a massive crush on Daniel. Try gigantuous. Like the whole goddamn world knows and the only reason Woojin hasn’t submerged himself 50,000ft underwater is because Daniel has no fucking clue. 

It’s fine, honestly.

Except he’s been harbouring this crush for over ten years. 

(‘I wasted my _youth_ on him,’ Woojin sobs drunkenly onto Jihoon’s shoulder who continues to rub soothing circles on his back.

‘It’s okay--isn’t making stupid mistakes part of growing up?’)

They meet in Busan, where large skyscrapers tower beside a clear, blue ocean, paired with the familiar, wistful breeze that manages to ruffle up Woojin’s hair every time he stands by the edge of the shore. 

Woojin’s clutching onto his mother’s sleeve as their new neighbours move in across the street. A young boy is playing on the lawn, crashing two jets together and making accompanying noises. It looks like _fun_ and it draws Woojin’s attention like a magnet. Curiosity gets the better of him, so Woojin skips across the road to say hello but freezes when the boy looks up.

He’s pretty. Unfairly so. 

Woojin is so tongue tied, he doesn’t realize he’s blankly staring until the boy speaks. 

“Would you like to play with me?” The toothy grin momentarily stuns him further.

Little Woojin fiddles his fingers, eyes growing comically wide. The boy continues to look at Woojin curiously and then jumps up to take Woojin’s hand in his own and drags them both down. “What’s your name? My name’s Daniel!” 

“Woojin,” he replies, hands growing clammy so he retracts it shyly. Daniel hands him one of the jets and Woojin takes it without question. He’s still holding onto it nervously while Daniel starts to play with the toy, laughing when he attempts to throw the plane but gravity gets the better of it and it quickly falls to the ground. 

They play like that, laughter ringing through the mild summer afternoon, right until Woojin’s mother pokes her head out through the door of their house to tell him to head back home.

Woojin gathers himself, unsure of whether or not to say something, but he’s just a gawky, little kid and Daniel is older and _super_ cool. There’s no way Daniel wants to be his friend. This was more like pity, or being coerced by their parents to play nicely together. 

With his head hung low, Woojin turns to leave when Daniel speaks up. 

“Hey! Let’s play with each other again tomorrow, okay?” Daniel looks up at him hopefully and Woojin feels a grin spreading across his face. He nods vehemently before running back home with his heart full.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The very next day, he introduces Daniel to Minhyun, a close hyung who lives down the street and something _clicks_ , like the pieces of a thousand piece puzzle have finally come together. To no one’s surprise, they get along well; with Daniel’s easy-going nature and Minhyun’s amiability, it’s hard not to. 

From that moment on, the three of them were inseparable. 

Afterschool evenings were always spent together crowding around Minhyun’s computer watching anime, or huddled up on Daniel’s couch gaming while pushing and shoving each other playfully. Laughter becomes a familiar sound, and memories like these build up in Woojin’s heart with the two of them cementing themselves in his life so effortlessly. Even with the age difference, Daniel and Minhyun take care of him relentlessly. 

Which brings Woojin to his eventual demise. 

If someone asked Woojin what he thought about Minhyun, he would explain that he feels fond and grateful for Minhyun’s companionship and protection. Purely platonic feelings. Yet, if someone asked about Daniel… well, Woojin might as well eat his entire fist.

With some time, Woojin realizes that the little gremlin hammering away inside his heart is called a _crush_. A stupid fucking crush. Admittedly, Woojin has watched enough rom-coms in his own time, alone and under the covers with a tissue box nearby, to know how damn cliché it is to start liking your best friend. 

It’s hard to pinpoint a moment in time. The moment isn’t magical, really. No fireworks or foot popping kisses. (They haven’t even gotten there, god forbid the day they might, but Woojin would rather shit himself than daydream this scenario.) Rather, it comes in waves, just like the Busan shorelines, pushing and pulling until they topple over in a never ending cycle. With Daniel’s infectious smile bulldozing through Woojin’s life, it felt like a sealed deal right from the beginning. 

Spending a lot of time with each other, Woojin truly gets to know who Daniel is. Kind, humble, and always laughing, Daniel becomes a constant light in Woojin’s life. Whether it be walking him home from school, or allowing Woojin to sleep over whenever he’s having a hard time, it’s hard not to fall for Daniel. Heck, the amount of confessions Minhyun and Woojin tease Daniel for having could break both their records combined. That’s just it. Daniel was put on this earth to be adored.

It’s hard when you have a routine that everyone is used to, because going against it is terrifying. Woojin doesn’t want to make anything awkward, even though he’s positive Minhyun knows about his crush. What if they date and break up? What if Daniel doesn’t even think about him that way and he ruins it all by confessing? Maybe Woojin never even stood a chance. 

So Woojin doesn’t tell anyone about the gremlin, even though he’s threatening to combust every time Daniel puts his hand behind Woojin’s back or sends a thoughtful smile his way. 

Reality hits Woojin hard when Minhyun is the first to leave for college. Entrance exams take up the majority of Minhyun’s time, leaving Daniel and Woojin spending more time together. Eventually, Minhyun’s bags are packed in the trunk of his parents’ van with Daniel and Woojin looking on the sidelines sadly. 

“I’ll be back,” said Minhyun, engulfing them in one final big hug before waving goodbye. 

Woojin cries after that, Daniel rubbing at his back soothingly. He’s still young, after all. He doesn’t realize how much he’s taken Minhyun for granted, or the both of them, until one of them is gone. Soon, Daniel will leave as well. 

Afterwards, they’re eating popcorn while watching a movie on Daniel’s bed. Now, Daniel is brushing fingers through Woojin’s hair, and the latter is slowly nodding off to sleep, too tired and cried out to function. 

“You’re not going to leave too, right?”

Daniel tilts his head to take a good look at Woojin who is currently cuddled up beside him. The sound of the TV is quiet enough to hear their deep breaths. “We all have to leave someday, Woojin.” 

At that, Woojin stirs uncomfortably at the thought. He realizes that he’s been babied way too much. It’s not that he can’t function without the two of them, it’s just that he can’t remember a time when they haven’t been the _mighty three_. Woojin’s suddenly reminded of how young he is, how he keeps running and running and running, trying to keep up with people already miles away.

“Although people may not constantly be by your side, they can still love and care for you. That hasn’t changed with Minhyun hyung. And that’s definitely not going to change with me.” Daniel gives him a warm smile, pinky out and Woojin clasps his own to Daniel’s.

Woojin mumbles, “You promise?”

“I promise.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“Seongwoo hyung, have you showered yet? You smell like you dived into a trash can.” 

“Takes one to know what that smells like,” Seongwoo replies nonchalantly, accepting a bite from Minhyun’s sandwich with a gleeful smile. The way they look at each other all lovey-dovey makes Woojin want to scream obscenities into his pillow.

“Why are you even here, hyung? No one invited you,” Woojin bites back, earning a warning glare from Minhyun. He throws both of his hands in the air dramatically. “Actually, no one invited either of you.” 

“I invited them,” Daniel interjects before Woojin’s sleep deprived ass can make anymore snarky comments. “Why are you such a mouthful today?”

Woojin shrugs and pushes away his plate of food, feeling somewhat unsatisfied. “I don’t know. I guess the looming fact that I’m paying thousands for an education at the cost of my sanity is finally catching up to me.”

Minhyun chuckles, leaning back in his chair with his hand neatly folded on top of the table. Beside him, Seongwoo is diligently highlighting notes, humming some song probably off this week’s top 50. Which reminds Woojin, he should probably start studying for that midterm this Friday. “Did you think college would be fun and games?” 

“You made it sound like so much fun when you first came to Seoul!” Woojin reminds him with a vengeful glare.

“I was just trying to protect you from the dangers of adulthood. Welcome to the real world, Woojin.” 

“Great,” he replies sarcastically. “Then can you work on this economics project for me? Jihoon’s been on my ass about it and it’s only been...” He pauses to check the time on his phone. “Two hours since we were assigned it.” 

Minhyun is now crossing his arms, looking anything but impressed. “Nice try but I’ve never taken an economics course in my life.” 

Before Woojin is able to pull out his ‘Reasons Why Helping Woojin Will Benefit Your Life’ speech, Daniel offers to do it. “I can help you guys out. We can start by gathering resources and making notes. After everything’s done, I can read it over to see if it makes sense.” 

Batting his eyelashes, Woojin replies cheekily. “Hyung, you are the best. Where would I be without you?”

“Dying from malnourishment and brittle bones from lack of sunlight, probably,” Daniel supplies intelligently, ears tinged a peachy pink.

“Your utmost faith in me is unparalleled. Anyways, let’s get started?” Woojin bounces up and down like an overexcited puppy. “Since you and I are both done with classes for today.” 

“Sounds good,” Daniel agrees, moving to throw out the leftover take out container. Woojin misses the brief, knowing eye contact between Daniel and Minhyun, too preoccupied with packing up, excitement brimming through his veins at being able to spend more time with Daniel. 

The walk back to Daniel and Minhyun’s apartment is long but Woojin enjoys it. They’re playfully pushing each other back and forth with Daniel eventually swinging an arm around Woojin as they end up walking closely together to combat the cold autumn breeze.

Now that Woojin has joined them in college, it’s as if nothing has changed. He’s still asserting his dominance as the baby of the group and although they’re all young adults now, they’re still not a match against Woojin’s sheer power. 

The apartment looks the same as ever. Random articles of clothing are scattered through every corner of the house. One side of the sink is cleaned while the other is filled with dirty dishes. It’s a typical college apartment, but Woojin knows how hard Minhyun tries to keep it clean overall. It doesn’t help that Jaehwan, another one of their roommates, is a total slob. 

“Why are you so hard on Seongwoo, anyways?” Daniel asks, tone curious but mostly amused. His shirt rises up ever so slightly, showing a small glimpse of the skin above his waistband when he takes out two glass cups from the cupboard. Woojin tries his best not to gawk. Daniel fills them up with juice before sliding one cup over the counter where Woojin catches it. 

“Not just anyone can date Minhyun hyung. I need to make sure he’s not a serial killer.” Woojin takes a second to ponder. “Or worse, some kind of uncultured fuck boy.”

Daniel tilts his head as a cute smile forms on his lips, assessing the information before he speaks. “Isn’t that Minhyun’s decision to make?”

“Obviously, but I just want to be there for him like he’s always been there for me. Besides, I don’t _hate_ Seongwoo hyung. Skeptical at most. I actually think he’s great for hyung.”

“Ohhhhhh.” Daniel’s tone is teasing, introspective almost, as he leans back against the fridge to look at Woojin proudly. “What’s this? You’re being honest for once. Quick, where’s my phone, I need to document this moment on Snapchat.” 

“Tell anyone and I’ll post on the university’s campus Facebook page that the person who pissed on the founder’s statue was you,” Woojin threatens with a straight face. 

Daniel blinks twice, the cogs churning inside his head as he mutters under his breath. “Wasn’t that Jaehwan?”

Woojin raises a knowing finger. “But who will the public believe? Bright, young, intelligent Park Woojin? Or Statue Pisser Kang Daniel?”

Daniel ignores Woojin, turning on his heels to walk to the couch. He knows if they continue bantering, Daniel will eventually lose. So, to save himself any sort of humiliation, Daniel usually lets Woojin have the last word. “Shut up. Now hurry up and start on this project before I change my mind.”

With a final laugh, Woojin dashes towards him and they begin working.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Nobody’s surprised when Woojin ends up staying over at Daniel’s place. 

(When Jaehwan gets home, he takes one look at Woojin and sighs. “You again? Stop leeching on our food and utilities. At least help pay our rent.” 

“I pay my dues by offering my unrivaled friendship and kindness.” 

“Money is still better.”)

He wakes up to 76 unread text messages, majority of them coming from Jihoon. One of them is from Minhyun saying how he should really stop getting Daniel to do things for him, because they both know Daniel would. He contemplates a bit before deleting it. Another one is from Hyungseob, their neighbour across the hallway, asking if him and Jihoon were free next weekend to hang out. Checking the calendar on his phone, he confirms they’re not busy so Woojin types a quick ‘yes’ before eventually opening Jihoon’s message. 

Opening Jihoon’s messages always takes a little minute of self pep talk because no one knows what his friend is going to say. Did Jihoon kill somebody and needs help hiding the body? Or is Jihoon asking a question about the essay worth half their grade that’s due tomorrow and Woojin sure as hell forgot about? Woojin isn’t going to take his chances—he needs to mentally prepare himself.

  


**Jihoon**  
Woojin come home and help me  
Where the fuck are u  
U SAID U WOULD BE HOJME Y THE FUCK U LYIGN TRIATOR  
PARK WOOJIN!!!!!! U WILL RUE THIS DAY I SWEAR IT  
I’m taking all the fuckign credit I hope u get run over in traffic walking home

 **Woojin**  
i was at daniel’s, he was helping me on the project  
i did my part ok!!! u can’t veto my participation  
friendship is a two way street

 **Jihoon**  
Good fucking morning tell Daniel to enroll in this class so the two of us can get the grade for it and not you  
Also I figured you would be at Daniel’s so I texted him  
I knew you were working on it all along

 **Woojin**  
wtf since when were u guys friends

 **Jihoon**  
Oh, we met in the Overwatch Club and then game together sometimes  
Did you know he plays a mean McCree?

  


What the fuck? Of course Woojin knows. He’s about to send a passive aggressive text about the courtesy of stealing friends when Daniel stirs next to him. 

“You’re up early,” Daniel groans, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. With both of his eyes shut tight, Daniel starts to literally morph into a stupid puppy waking up from a nap, equipped with tiny whining noises that manage to send shivers through his body. It’s so unfair. 

“Text messages,” Woojin replies, waving his phone to a squinting Daniel. 

Daniel tosses and turns in bed until he decides to lay on his side to look at Woojin. Daniel starts absentmindedly drawing random lines and circles on Woojin’s thigh. “Did you want to have breakfast together? I think we have some leftover side dishes to have with rice.”

Woojin wants to respond. He truly does. Heck, his stomach has been grumbling for a few minutes now and he could really use a meal. But the problem is this: Daniel is drawing random shapes on Woojin, and he’s stuck feeling like he can combust at any moment or have a very awkward boner. 

So Woojin does what he thinks is best. He mutters a quick apology, explaining how Jihoon is really mad at him, and then changes into his own clothes and runs out the door.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He’s sprinting through campus in the dead of the morning looking like an unruly mess. Random early birds are eyeing him suspiciously and Woojin wants to tell them he was not getting laid, thank you very much. What comes out instead is a strangled cry as he wills his heart to stop beating so fast. 

When he reaches his dormitory, Woojin finds that the door is unlocked. Without thinking, he barges into the room, ready to jump into his uncomfortable dorm bed only to find a shocked Jihoon at the kitchen table with a collapsed house of cards in front of him.

“You’re dead.” Jihoon hisses, vein popping on his forehead, bemoaning the sight in front of him.

“Why were you even making a house of cards?” Woojin tries to reason but he knows it’s a futile attempt. When Jihoon is angry, it usually means war. 

“Oh, I was trying to correlate the problems of property inflation to gambling addiction--” Jihoon smacks Woojin on the arm. “Why else would I fucking build a house of cards, you git? I’m bored, ambitious, and you ruined all my hard work!” 

Woojin rubs at his arms sorely. “To be fair, you shouldn’t have left the door opened. Didn’t you know Hyungseob got something stolen last week?”

Rubbing at his temples painfully, Jihoon replies, “You borrowed his bike without telling him.” 

“I left him a note!” Woojin looks offended at the accusation.

“In his lecture notebook! You know he doesn’t look at that after he’s finished writing notes.” 

Woojin shrugs, choosing instead to scuffle towards his bed to fall face flat onto it with a groan.

There’s a brief pause before Woojin feels the dip in his mattress signifying Jihoon’s presence. “On a scale of one to Kang Daniel, how distraught are you?”

“Fuck off,” Woojin mumbles into the pillow, scrunching his nose at the smell. He should probably do laundry now, as it’s been a couple weeks without clean bed sheets but that’s college life he supposes. Rolling around in your filth and grime, trying to make some semblance out of your life. 

“You’re a mess,” Jihoon says fondly, taking the time to pat Woojin’s back in an awkward attempt at consoling. Although Jihoon is harsh at times, Woojin knows underneath the brash exterior, Jihoon is surprisingly soft and caring. One time, when Woojin was piss drunk and passed out, Jihoon actually carried Woojin up ten flights of stairs because the elevator broke down. The next morning, while Jihoon was getting a cup of water ready for Woojin, he explained it was because their RA gave him a judgmental stare when he dropped Woojin in the lounge but Woojin knows better.

“You’re sitting around moping everyday about Daniel not seeing you as more than a friend, yet the world knows Daniel would drop anything for you. Why don’t you just, I don’t know,” Jihoon frowns, gesturing vaguely in front of Woojin, “save yourself the my-best-friend-doesn’t-like-me sob story and tell Daniel how you feel? Maybe it’s not as hopeless as you think it is.” 

Turning around, Woojin meets Jihoon’s gaze with uncertainty and then repositions himself, stuffing a pillow under his chin to hug it. “I know how all these stories go. You tell your best friend you’re in love with them and then they tell you they don’t feel the same. Friendship over. I can’t do that to us.” 

Jihoon looks up at the ceiling with a deep sigh. “Don’t you watch enough rom-coms to know how it goes?”

Woojin brings his pillow up and squints at him suspiciously from behind it. “How did you know--”

“Please,” Jihoon waves him off with an annoyed grunt. Reaching over Woojin, he brings over one of the pillows to hug as well. “You’re not as sneaky as you think. I hear you crying under the covers at two in the morning.” 

“Okay, but what am I supposed to do? Tell him, ‘Hey, I’ve been in love with you for the better half of my life, I was wondering if you felt the same?’” Woojin scowls at the ridiculous thought, folding his arms and trying to think about all the ways this could go wrong. 

Negativity isn’t a constant part of Woojin’s lifestyle. But when you start convincing yourself something for a long time, you can’t help but believe in it too. 

Usually, Woojin is a pretty bright person. Whenever something happens, he tries to look at things positively. With his infectiously calming presence, it’s no wonder people enjoy being around him. But there are times when irrationality gets the best of him. He’s only human, after all. In this case, it’s the form of denying anything could happen between Daniel and him. Being friends is what they’ve known their entire life. Wouldn’t it be strange if they were anything but? 

At that moment, Woojin’s phone vibrates from an incoming text. ‘Nielie hyung’ flashes on the screen and an unsettling feeling pushes its way up his throat. 

“I’m just saying,” Jihoon starts off, gaze soft. “You don’t have to do anything outlandish. It’s not rocket science. The answer may surprise you. The answer may as well be right under your nose.” Jihoon emphasizes the last part, brows raised, and looking like a constipated Woojin on a Saturday morning.

As much as it pains Woojin to admit it, Jihoon’s right. For the past few years, Woojin’s been trailing behind Daniel like a puppy, stuck in the same situation with no end in sight. Now that he’s finally here in university with Daniel, it’s time that Woojin starts being in control of his own life. 

“You’re right,” Woojin says all too strongly, excitement brimming through him. He stands up abruptly, his pillow falling to the ground. Jihoon nods along happily and he’s about to say something, words of encouragement on the tip of his tongue, when Woojin interrupts. “I’m going to make Daniel fall in love with me.”

Jihoon’s expression falls. “Wait, what--” 

Woojin quickly takes large, confident strides towards the door, only stopping momentarily to pick around for a pair of shoes that match. Eventually, he finds some old, worn out boots that Daniel got him a few birthdays ago. By the time he puts the shoes on, Jihoon is beside him with his eyebrows twitching, smile a little forced. 

“Say that again?” 

Putting both hands on Jihoon’s shoulders, Woojin stares at him, determined. “We can go to the movies, watch a scary movie or something. Perfect hand holding opportunity, am I right? Or how about dinner at a fancy restaurant? How much is it to rent someone to do a fireworks show for you…”

“I think you’re missing the point,” Jihoon comments, exasperated. The veins on the side of his head seem to be popping.

Woojin shakes his head. “Don’t worry about helping me out. I’ll plan all of this! Thanks for the pep talk Jihoon, you are the bestest friend I can ever ask for.” 

With that, Woojin exits their dormitory, jacket half on and shoelaces untied. Rumours say that every morning, without fail, you can hear distressed screaming echoing through the tenth floor that sound oddly like Jihoon.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Getting together with Daniel isn’t difficult, it’s second nature at this point. When Woojin first brings up one of the few outings he’s planned, not mentioning the word ‘date’ because Woojin doesn’t want to scare him off, Daniel responds with an enthusiastic grin and fondly ruffles Woojin’s hair, much to his chagrin. 

Like any other important event in his life, Woojin suffers an outfit crisis. And no matter how many times Woojin asks for opinions from Jihoon, the latter flips him off, stating how he refuses to help stupid eggs. Whatever that even means. 

After deciding on a simple button up paired with his favourite jeans, Woojin sits on the curb outside of his dorm. Daniel is punctual, as always, arriving in his old, beat-up Honda that Minhyun and Woojin used to take whenever they were all in Busan. Sometime around Daniel’s second year of university, he began to take the car to school and Woojin felt a weird ache in his chest when he looked across the street to not find the familiar car there. There’s something that sets Woojin’s heart at ease knowing that some things never change.

“Hey, kid.” Daniel reaches over to ruffle Woojin’s hair but Woojin manages to deflect it by putting his hands together as a makeshift shield. He’s wearing the cream turtleneck that Woojin once complimented him on, saying how it brought out how much of a puppy he was and Daniel had laughed. After that moment, Woojin realized that Daniel started wearing it more often. “Where are we off to today that’s such a surprise?”

Right. Woojin begged his little sister to snap a picture of a page in one of her fashion magazines that he remembers reading. It highlighted tips about pursuing a relationship, and one of the points mentioned always being one step ahead of your crush because surprises are _sexy_. And well, who is Woojin to argue with professional editors?

“Don’t worry! Just drive, I’ll let you know when to turn,” Woojin replies, faking nonchalance. 

Daniel salutes and then puts his gear shift in drive. They drive in silence for awhile, with Woojin mumbling directions here and there. It’s not until they’re close to the destination when Daniel takes a peak over at the passenger seat. 

“This is nice, you know? I feel like we don’t spend as much time together as we should.” 

Woojin watches the scenery fly by through the window. The newest hip-hop track blares from the speakers and he finds himself humming along. The Honda is outdated, with the stereo only allowing CD formats. Instead of listening to the radio, Daniel still uses CD’s with songs he puts together. More often than not, Woojin would be beside Daniel as they share new artists and songs, slowly curating a sort of mix tape. He knows the CD blasting from the speakers in particular, as it was a joint effort between him and Daniel not too long ago. 

“Jaehwan would say otherwise,” Woojin retorts, earning a chuckle from Daniel. 

“Well, you do eat his smoked ham every time you come over. He has to buy one every week.” 

“It was waiting for me! Hyung, you should see it every time I open the fridge. ‘Eat me, Woojin. I promise Jaehwan wouldn’t miss me’. What are you going to do with a whole ass ham for yourself anyways?”

Daniel tries to hide his laughter. “You’re impossible.”

Woojin angles his head and gives Daniel a toothy grin. “You love me, anyways.”

“I do,” Daniel says slowly without skipping a beat. Thank god Daniel is focused on the road because Woojin is blushing furiously right now. He attempts to hide the redness of his ears by pulling his beanie down further. How much Woojin wishes those words meant more to Daniel than it does for him. 

When they pull up to their destination and Daniel finishes parking quite crookedly, Woojin opens up his arms in triumph. “Ta-dah!”

“Nice! I haven’t watched a movie in so long,” Daniel says, skipping inside the cinema like some overexcited child waiting for the next Madagascar movie. 

Since Woojin’s an innovative thinker, a 21st century boy, he buys their tickets ahead of time. Chivalry isn’t dead just yet. 

It doesn’t take long for them to get seated in the dimly lit room as they walk down the aisle. Just as Woojin thought, there are a bunch of couples sitting in discrete sections of the theatre. 

Daniel soon excuses himself to use the washroom only to later return with his arms full of snacks and drinks. Woojin thought it wasn’t possible to fall more in love with him, but of course Daniel is always proving him wrong. 

Woojin reaches out to help, grabbing the drinks to put them in their respective cup holders. “You didn’t have to, hyung.”

Daniel’s voice is muffled as he tries to hide behind his turtleneck. “Seeing you full makes me happy.” 

“Oh. Thank you.” The little gremlin starts hammering away again, that sickening feeling he’s all too familiar with. Woojin faces the front as well, choosing to munch away on the buttery popcorn. 

The lights finally flicker off and the trailers start playing. There’s a quiet sigh beside him; Daniel is fidgeting in his seat, occasionally peeping at his phone.

“Who are you texting?” Woojin leans over to whisper, catching a glimpse of the winking emoji. 

Daniel almost drops his phone in embarrassment. He quickly tucks it away in the pocket of his coat and Woojin eyes him suspiciously. “It’s nothing.” Daniel coughs, looking straight at the screen. “Just Minhyun.”

Woojin nods in understanding and continues to munch away on the popcorn. 

The Warner Brothers logo pops up on screen, surrounded by eerie looking clouds. The soundtrack starts off with windchimes. Someone is walking on wood, the floorboards emitting a creaking sound so eerie it manages to send shivers down his arms. 

“Which movie did you say we were watching again?” Daniel’s voice is low, bordering on squeaky and afraid almost.

“Oh! Yeah, I’ve been meaning to see the new Insidious movie--”

At that, Daniel jumps to his feet in a panic, hands flying up to grab at his hair. “Woojin, I’m going to die!” 

People are now looking at the pair of them with irritation and it takes Woojin a full minute before something clicks in his head. Oh shit. How could Woojin forget Daniel is deathly afraid of scary movies? Heck, after watching The Tale of Two Sisters, Daniel made a permanent nest at Woojin’s house for a week because he kept having nightmares. It took Minhyun and Woojin a solid month of coercing him that it definitely won’t happen in real life before Daniel was able to live his life without thinking about any freak cases of impending doom. 

“Hyung, relax!” Woojin urges, gripping the ends of Daniel’s sleeve to pull him back down. He squawks when he lands back in his seat, and Woojin would have found it endearing if Daniel wasn’t literally sweating. “I’m so sorry! I completely forgot you didn’t like scary movies. We can go home?”

“Uhhhhh,” Daniel drags out, eyes flickering to the screen feigning interest. He positions himself, trying to look as relaxed as he can be. “It’s okay! I’ve been meaning to watch it too, haha! You already spent money on the ticket, anyways. What’s the worst that could happen, right?”

After four jumpscares (‘four too many if you ask me,’ Daniel mutters) and Daniel’s soda being spilled, they end up leaving the theatre to sneak into another movie. Daniel ends up enjoying it much more, laughing here and there and crying towards the end from how heartfelt it was. Woojin wishes he could feel the same, but he’s instead ridden with intense guilt. Being romantic is fucking hard.

The night draws to an end when Daniel drops Woojin off, with the latter so disappointed, the only thing Woojin says is ‘thanks’ before running out the car and inserting his key card in with so much force, the card actually _bends_. 

Jihoon happens to walk down the stairs in that moment, bear slippers on his feet and toothbrush in his mouth as Woojin is repeatedly slamming his head against the door. 

“I’m assuming it went well?”

Woojin groans.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next few outings meet the same unsuccessful formula. 

Woojin always has something up his sleeve. And despite how intricate Woojin’s disaster preparedness protocols are, the date-but-not-date ends up a complete mess. 

Take Two starts in a cat cafe in the heart of Myeongdong. A couple group of girls gather together as they watch Woojin sneezing non-stop, nose running, and eyes red. Daniel is awkwardly holding a cat in one hand and a Kleenex box in the other. Turns out his doctor failed to alert Woojin of his allergies to cats, which is strange given his long history with Rooney and Peter. Apparently one can develop an allergy over time, cats included. Who knew. The only good thing that came from the day was heading back to Daniel’s place, where Daniel fixed Woojin a steaming hot cup of tea and tucked him into bed. 

Take Three isn’t any better. In Woojin’s opinion, Busan’s amusement parks pale in comparison to Seoul’s. Lotte World is supposed to be a kid’s paradise, literally their dream back when all they could do was play with sandcastles that went away with the tide. Woojin ends up making it a group outing, inviting Minhyun and Seongwoo along. If he can play it off to Jihoon as a low-key double date then he’s damn well going to take it. 

They waste no time in going on the scariest, most thrilling rides. The day starts off pretty great. Fantastic, even. Ride after ride, they scream and joke until their stomachs hurt from all the laughing. He’s chilling with his best friends again. This is literally the ideal scenario. 

Daniel buys Woojin a lot of snacks as they wait in line and Woojin must’ve been nervous or something because he continues to eat and eat. Occasionally, Daniel hands over some napkins so Woojin can clean his buttery fingers. Woojin tries his hardest not to get embarrassed, continuing to munch on the snacks indifferently while whining about Daniel being overly fussy. 

He’s not sure what triggers it but the next ride has Woojin nauseous. They get off the rollercoaster, all of them with worried faces. For some reason, Woojin’s stomach feels uneasy and the next moment he retches in the nearby bush. Daniel is blaming himself for feeding Woojin too much, thinking it was the cause of Woojin’s upset stomach. 

Everyone heads home after with Daniel insisting Woojin stay over. All Woojin wants to do is head straight to bed feeling miserable. 

Woojin’s starting to think someone in the universe is conspiring against him. It should not be this hard.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**Woojin**  
hey i’m heading to that salad place across campus u want anything?

 **Jihoon**  
What is that supposed to mean Woojin  
I’ll have you know I’m fit as fuck and I will bench press your overgrown baby ass

  


Woojin stares at the ceiling tiredly. No, that’s not what he meant, but sure. He’ll end up grabbing Jihoon the most basic salad anyways.

He almost makes it around the corner of the hallway when he hears familiar whispers. Next to the vending machine, Daniel and Minhyun are sitting beside one another deep in conversation, each with a faraway look in their eyes. 

“I don’t think he’s serious, hyung.” Daniel is leaning forward, elbows on his legs, and hands in his hair.

“Anyone with eyes can see it. How are you going to know if you don’t ask?”

“I swear these are dates but I can’t know for sure.” 

_What?_ Did he hear right? Something about a date?

Woojin wrinkles his face in interest, inching closer in an attempt to hear their conversation better. Before he can even take a step further, Seongwoo sneaks up behind him and puts a hand on Woojin’s shoulder. “What are you doing trying to sneak around like that? We all know you’re not the quietest person here.” 

Against Woojin’s own will, Seongwoo now has his hands around Woojin’s shoulders as he guides them towards the other two. 

“You know, just because you’re dating Minhyun hyung, it doesn’t mean I can’t make your life a living hell.” 

Seongwoo laughs. “In our first year of university, Minhyun warned me about his cute dongsaeng from back home who is actually Satan in disguise. Said it would take awhile before you would even like anyone unfamiliar.”

Woojin snorts, finding himself enjoying a conversation with Seongwoo. “Yeah, my love is rare and thoroughly sought after.”

Seongwoo nods, showing off a lopsided grin. “Guess people have to be reborn as Daniel in their next life to get even an ounce of that love, huh?”

It takes a second for the comment to register in Woojin’s brain and then he’s sputtering incoherent sentences while running after Seongwoo. The latter happily bounces away after the comment to surprise Minhyun with a peck on the cheek. Daniel catches Woojin’s gaze excitedly and is waving Woojin over with a bright smile, and Woojin does everything in his power to will the clenching inside to stop. 

He starts to wonder if all of his efforts were in vain. So far, Daniel hasn’t really acted any differently from when Woojin first started his plan. As much as Woojin likes spending more time with Daniel, he feels like they’re both stuck in time, cursed to relive the easy-going life from their childhood when all Woojin wants is to grow _from_ it. 

Now Woojin has to wonder if Daniel has his eye on someone else, too.

“Don’t you have class right now?” Minhyun directs his question to Woojin.

“No, he has class later tonight at seven,” Daniel answers for him offhandedly, twirling his fork to eat a mouthful of spaghetti. Minhyun’s eyes are passive as he acknowledges it with a slight hum. 

Seongwoo now has both arms around Minhyun’s shoulder, chin resting comfortably on the top of Minhyun’s head. Woojin can’t help but think that they really are good for each other. 

“Daniel and I are planning on hitting the bar. You guys interested?” Seongwoo extends the offer even though he knows Woojin is busy and Minhyun doesn’t drink. Sometimes, Minhyun tags along in exchange for Seongwoo accompanying him elsewhere. Woojin is jealous of how easy it is for them to be together. 

“Nah, I have an assignment due tomorrow and that masters program to apply for. Have fun without me though, babe.” Minhyun makes some exaggerated smoochy faces and Daniel gags all in good humour. 

“Fun? Without the love of my life? How could I ever?” Seongwoo says dramatically, earning a slap on the chest from Minhyun. “Alright, alright! We should be off. I’ll text you when we’re leaving.”

“I’ll be home. Also, don’t even think about crawling into bed,” Minhyun warns with an icy glare. “Last time you woke me up and I had to read your drunk ass five bedtime stories. It was a nightmare.”

Woojin groans. “You guys are gross.”

Daniel grunts. “Imagine living with them.”

“No promises this time,” Seongwoo replies, ignoring the both of them, finally taking the last moment to press a kiss on top of Minhyun’s head before leaving with Daniel in tow.

Just as Woojin is about to head home to do some readings before class, Minhyun speaks up. “You’re leaving already? Sit down, let’s catch up.”

“Hyuuung,” Woojin whines but immediately takes a seat after witnessing Minhyun’s icy stare for the second time that day. “You can’t keep me here against my will.”

“You’re right.” Minhyun puts a finger on his chin to think. “I’d have to be Daniel for you to want to stay.” 

Woojin blushes a furious shade of pink, fingers curled in a fist under the table. “Well you’re wrong cause neither of you can tie me down.”

Minhyun huffs in good fun. “I’m just kidding. Is it wrong that I miss my dongsaeng?”

“Well, no. But I just saw you like yesterday,” Woojin deadpans.

Minhyun flicks him on the forehead and Woojin rubs at the spot painfully. “You’re such a brat.” Minhyun leans in closer, chin now resting on the back of his palm. “What have you been up to anyways? I know first year of university is always hard and takes time getting used to, but I barely get to hang out with you. What happened to reuniting again and doing it like we used to?”

Woojin grins at the fond memory. It seems like ages ago they all made that promise. School has been taking up much of his time, sadly enough. One day, he’s going to have to plan a weekend with Daniel and Minhyun. “Life’s been strange. I don’t know, honestly. I’m still trying to figure it out. University definitely isn’t what I imagined. My roommate, Jihoon, is a dictator but I’m glad I met someone that I really like.”

Minhyun raises an eyebrow. “Do you _like_ Jihoon?”

Woojin aggressively coughs out the water he was drinking a second ago. “No! No no no no no. _No_. Jihoon would sell me to Satan for one corn chip. We definitely do not see each other like that.” He adds the next part quietly. “Besides, I think I like someone else.”

There it is. He’s not sure if Minhyun knows but Woojin’s taking the dive. 

“Who is it?” Minhyun asks curiously, eyes sharper than usual.

“I don’t want to tell you. Yet,” Woojin supplies unhelpfully, hoping Minhyun will drop the subject. It’s not that Woojin is afraid of telling Minhyun. It’s just that Woojin’s been living in a state of denial and he doesn’t want to over-complicate things between all of them.

“I’m your hyung! I can be your wingman or something.” Minhyun nudges him in good humour, sounding like he _knows_ something. Right now, their conversation seems to be a dangerous game of hide and seek, where they’re both holding secrets they don’t want to tell. 

Woojin gives him a disgusted look. “I’d rather die than take advice from an old man.” 

Minhyun throws his hands up in the air in frustration. “At least tell me how you feel?” 

“I think I’ve been in love with him for as long as I can remember,” Woojin says with even breath, a contrast to how his heart is beating quickly. It’s the easiest thing he has uttered this entire conversation. In love, huh. That explains a lot. 

“Hey, Woojin?” Minhyun says gently, snapping Woojin out of his daze. “If you ask him, I’m sure he won’t say no. What’s there not to like about you?”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“Guess what, Daniel hyung,” Woojin speaks excitedly into the phone, twiddling the pen between his fingers. The curtains are closed, leaving his room in relative darkness except for the lamp illuminating a soft yellow glow. The light only reaches the outline of his face and Woojin’s positive if Jihoon were to suddenly enter, Jihoon would assume Woojin is planning something diabolical. 

“What is it?” Daniel’s answers back cheerfully. There’s some static coming from the phone and Daniel is breathing rather heavily. Probably walking somewhere. 

“I freed your Saturday up!” 

If Woojin was beside Daniel, he knows the latter would be giving him a blank expression. “You can do that?”

“Okay, well no.” Woojin frowns in defeat, now moving to his bed and sneaking under the covers. “But I asked around and it didn’t seem like you had plans.”

Daniel laughs heartily into the receiver. “That day was reserved for you anyways.”

Woojin starts squirming underneath his duvet and manages to knee himself hard against the wall. “FUCK.”

“What happened? Are you okay?” Daniel seems worried. Bless him.

Woojin has to bite his lip before he can say anything other than a whimper. “I’m fine. Just regretting every single decision in my life right about now.”

The sound of cars zooming by is paired with some heavy pop music that changes every so often. Woojin’s guessing Daniel is shopping somewhere. “I hope it’s not about the thing you’re making me do on Saturday.”

Woojin sits right up and shakes his head even though Daniel obviously can’t see it. “No. I think I’m as sure as I’ll ever be.”

This is going to be it. The last event before the big reveal. He’s anxious, more than he’s ever felt in his life. But Woojin feels like everything is slowly slotting itself into place and maybe he can take these heavy weights off his shoulders. Maybe Daniel can love him too.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Saturday comes and Woojin definitely does not spend all week thinking about it. Nope. Not a word. And if Jihoon mentions something about Woojin whining, well, Jihoon is just a dirty liar who takes advantage of Woojin’s close proximity to him as blackmail material. 

“You look too formal.” Jihoon is leaning against Woojin’s door frame, offering advice for what may be, the biggest day of Woojin’s life. “Here, let me.” Jihoon takes a step forward to try to fix the attire. He removes the bowtie and unbuttons the top two buttons. Jihoon presses a firm hand to the front of the shirt and admires his work. “I feel like I’m sending you off to prom or some shit like that.”

Woojin sprays some cologne on and winces at the smell. He doesn’t even remember when he had cologne. He probably stole it from Minhyun at one point and forgot to return it.

“Well stop staring like you’re my dad and help me as a best friend!” 

Jihoon grimaces, tsking for extra measure. “Would you relax?”

“I can’t!” Woojin complains, running a hand over his face in frustration. He’s feeling extra heated and he’s wondering if it’s too late to cancel. 

Jihoon puts his hands on Woojin’s shoulders and looks him dead in the eye. Woojin wishes he would stop doing that; Jihoon’s eyes are distracting. “Listen to me you brickhead. You’ve been waiting your entire life for this moment. You’ve been prepared since the day you met the guy. I don’t think I’ve met anyone as sincere with their feelings as you.” 

“Jihoon,” Woojin starts, slightly dazed and starstruck. “That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me.” 

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “I just don’t want you to go home crying, that’s all.” 

“Sure.” Woojin laughs. Hopefully that won’t be the case.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Dinner is a special occasion, because today, it is Daniel’s birthday. 

There’s nothing in the magazine about planning birthdays but Woojin figures dinner at a fancy (but not too fancy, hashtag broke college life) restaurant is quite impressive. 

The hostess ushers them inside, where large crystal chandeliers decorate the fresco painted ceilings. Okay, so maybe it took a couple weeks of eating cup ramen to afford this place, but if Woojin’s going to do it properly, he might as well do it in style. Everyone is dressed head to toe in business formal wear. Even though Woojin is wearing a dress shirt and some nice slacks, he feels incredibly overdressed. On the other hand, Daniel is wearing a white button up with a thin black tie and Woojin high key wants to die. They get looks from people as they pass by. Daniel often has that effect, and Woojin feels a little bit proud to have him here as _his_ date. If Daniel can even view it as one.

A waiter comes by with the menu. “Would you like anything to drink?”

“No, thank you,” Woojin replies calmly, already mentally calculating the expenses at the end of today’s night. 

“Water is fine,” Daniel answers for the both of them and the waiter gives an affirmative nod before leaving. “When you said dress business formal, I didn’t think you meant getting a seat at one of the more fancy restaurants in Seoul.” 

It’s going to cost an arm and leg but Woojin’s all about going big or home. “I’ve always been meaning to try this place out. Remember how Minhyun hyung, you and I dreamt about living the bougie life in Seoul? I figured we could do something about it today.”

Daniel grins widely, eyes almost crinkling shut from how happy he is. “I still remember when you would sometimes eat your rice with a spoon. Got it all over the dinner table and your mom was so upset. Ended up tipping it over and feeding it to the dog.” 

“Alright! Let’s not bring up my troubled past,” Woojin says dismissively, choosing instead to unfurl the napkin and lay it across his lap.

“Troubled? Past tense?” Daniel repeats judgingly with a teasing smile.

“Okay fine, I’m still a problem child.”

“You sure are.”

They end up ordering an appetizer to share between the two of them. Woojin doesn’t really know what the fuck he’s eating, something that sounds French, but Daniel seems to know, judging by the fact that he’s cutting the portions and feeding it to Woojin. He doesn’t even realize how strange it is until the waiter comes back, giving them an introspective glance as he asks how everything is. On the other hand, Daniel doesn’t seem to find it weird, answering the waiter enthusiastically. Meanwhile, Woojin is suffering some sort of cardiac arrest in the middle of dinner. Someone please call life alert, his heart is frail and Daniel has no goddamn clue.

Dinner continues on to become a relaxing affair. Usually, they’re quite loud, screaming about nothing half the time. Yet this time, they’re slowly enjoying their food while catching up with each other about their lives. 

Woojin starts to notice the little things. How Daniel tends to avert his eyes momentarily when Woojin looks at him head on. How red and plush Daniel’s lips are, tinted from his favourite lip balm. How Daniel takes Woojin’s hand in his absentmindedly, playing with the lines on his palms. 

And how the big things are so largely part of who Daniel is. Like how Daniel’s front teeth protrude out when he’s pleasantly surprised. Or how much Daniel adores skinship because he loves with all his heart and puts it on his sleeve for the world to know. How Woojin is equal parts warm and fond. 

The thoughts are still churning inside Woojin’s head, all the way to the end of dinner where another surprise waits.

The waiter brings out the cake—it’s chocolate flavoured with strawberry filling, just the way Daniel likes it. 

“Wow. I really don’t deserve you.” Daniel’s voice is full of wonder, as if he was five all over again.

Woojin fidgets in his seat, excitement brimming through him. At least some things are finally going well. “They didn’t have enough candles so I got as many as I could.”

Daniel’s eyes glaze over the cake and then squints upon closer inspection. “There are 30 candles?”

“Happy birthday, hyung!” Woojin replies cheerfully, only to have Daniel playfully nudge him on the shoulder. 

On the count of three, Daniel blows out the candles and cuts two pieces. “You really didn’t have to go the extra mile for me. Spending time with you, geeked out at home with our favourite movies in the background is great too.”

“No, I wanted to do this for you. I never do anything special from all the years we’ve been together. You’re important to me. I love you, hyung,” Woojin adds the last part hastily, breath knocked out of him so he starts coughing to hide his nervousness. 

Daniel’s eyes start twinkling in the dim restaurant lighting, putting to shame any star in the sky. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

 _With you, buying groceries together, bringing in the New Year with fervent kisses, so terribly in love the whole world knows it_ , Woojin wants to say but something catches his tongue. 

“Graduate with honours? Make enough money to live comfortably?”

There’s a brief moment of silence, save for the restaurant’s background noise. Maybe that was the wrong answer, Woojin starts to think. It’s too late to backpedal now, he supposes. 

The next minute, Daniel sighs into his hands before wiping them on the napkin. “Personally, I haven’t thought much about it. My five year plan would probably include staying by your side, continuing to eat ice cream together when we’re sad or something, or attempting to tease you when I know I’m going to lose either way.”

Woojin’s breath hitches, eyes beginning to dart everywhere in an attempt to avoid eye contact. Is this what Woojin thinks it means? Does Daniel feel the same way? The beat of his heart drums violently, threatening to burst from his chest and take flight. Days, weeks, months, and years that have accumulated all into this one moment and Woojin will not fuck it up. 

“Daniel, I--” 

“When I think about people who I can’t imagine living without, you pop up in my head. Clear as the sky. Sometimes I’ll subconsciously buy two meals and realize you’re not even next to me. Or when I’m upset, I know who to invite over and we’ll spend hours lounging around on the sofa doing nothing yet everything.” Daniel rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly and then turns to look at Woojin with unguarded eyes. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m so grateful for your friendship. I don’t ever want what we have to change.” 

Woojin’s smile transforms into a blank frown. Friendship? Here Woojin thought that Daniel was confessing to him and then Woojin gets sidelined as a _friend_. A million thoughts are running through his head--he feels sick. 

“Hey?” Daniel waves a hand in front of him, worried expression causing wrinkles to form on his forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I--I think I want to head home.” 

Woojin thinks he will cry if he has to look at Daniel any longer.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next morning, it takes approximately ten minutes for Jihoon to notice something is wrong.

Last night, Woojin crawled into bed exhausted, his mind and heart heavy. School teaches you about a lot of things, but it never prepared Woojin for heartbreak. Maybe there’s an underlying issue in all of this, that there might be more to what Daniel is saying, but Woojin is hurt and too busy wallowing in self pity to explore much of it.

Today, Woojin is sprawled out across Jihoon’s bed, relatively quiet except for the occasional groaning here and there which directly translates to, ‘Pay attention to me, I’m lonely’. Finally, after five minutes of Jihoon prolonging the inevitable, he slams his pen on the table and turns around to give Woojin a stink eye. 

“I’m _sad_.” Woojin pouts, trying to hide a sniffle.

“I _know_ that but can you at least tell me why?”

Woojin bites his lips and turns away. “He broke my heart.”

Immediately, Jihoon’s expression turns from one of annoyance to one of concern. He should get heartbroken more often if that means getting Jihoon’s attention so quickly. 

“Oh, baby.” Jihoon moves on to the bed to console him. “What did Daniel do?”

“Basically stated he wanted to be friends.”

Jihoon starts running his fingers gently through Woojin’s hair. “Do you want me to trip him down ten flights of stairs?”

“No. I need some time alone.”

“This is my room.”

The sunlight coming from the window shines brightly onto his face. Woojin brings up a hand to shield it. “I think I need some time for myself,” he reiterates, hoping Jihoon gets what he means. “I’ve only ever been positive about one thing for so long. It sucks but I have to move on because if I don’t, I know it’ll kill me.” 

Jihoon eyes him warily, nodding in response. “Whatever you think is necessary. I’m here with you every step of the way.” 

Despite all the conflicting feelings, Woojin finds himself smiling softly.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**Jihoon**  
Stop moping

 **Woojin**  
huh where are u

 **Jihoon**  
I’m the fbi agent watching u 

**Woojin**  
wat

 **Jihoon**  
Jk i’m just sitting nearby and u seem sad come here

  


Woojin is just passing by the science building when he receives the text. Looking left and right, his eyes scan the crowds of people until it lands on Jihoon by the tree. Taking several large steps, he reaches Jihoon in no time and plops himself on the grass. Something bumpy is puncturing his ass so he moves aside to remove a large pine cone. Surprisingly, the winter has been relatively tame compared to others. Not a single snowflake in sight. 

“Where were you after class?” Jihoon asks, his big, round sunglasses on the tip of his nose.

Woojin pulls his knee up to his chin. “Went to the library to work on that assignment Professor Jung assigned us.” 

Jihoon wolf whistles. “Park Woojin is actually starting an assignment early? Wake me up from this weird nightmare. You’re _never_ at the library.”

“Exactly,” Woojin confirms quickly and Jihoon rolls his eyes. 

“Sooner or later you’re going to have to confront him.”

Friends are gathered in various groups, all laughing and looking like they’re having a good time. Only a few weeks ago Woojin had that similar lifestyle. Nowadays, he rarely sees anyone except for his classmates and floormates when he begrudgingly drags his ass to the communal bathroom. 

“I am confronting him,” Woojin lies through gritted teeth, pulling his jacket closer to his body to make it seem like he’s cold rather than hurt. The pit of his stomach betrays him by clenching itself at the mention of Daniel.

“Oh, really? The last time he caught you by surprise, you screamed out loud something about having explosive diarrhea and ran all the way home. The whole building heard. Yeah, I think you’re doing a great, subtle job at avoiding him,” Jihoon says sarcastically. Woojin looks at the ground guiltily and refuses to answer. “Look, just talk to him. He misses you a lot and I’m sure you miss him too. There’s no point in losing a great friendship over this.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Avoiding Daniel is a piece of cake. Woojin ends up drowning himself in school work, earning a questionable and concerning look from Jihoon. His friend always looks out for him, but it’s come to the point where Jihoon is extra cautious, afraid of accidentally stepping on a mine that’s already detonated. 

Weekly, almost daily hangouts with Daniel end up being last minute cancellations to the point where Woojin hasn’t seen him in weeks. Eventually, Woojin stops replying to Daniel’s messages altogether. 

At one point, Minhyun decides to intervene. 

The worst part about being a freshman is not knowing all the shortcuts. Just as Woojin thinks the coast is clear in the main atrium, a hand comes out of nowhere and latches onto his backpack, pulling him back. 

Woojin’s ready to square up to the fool who thought picking a fight with him when he’s mourning would be a good idea. However, when he looks at the figure, Minhyun is looking at him with a terribly evil smile. 

“Woojin! I’m so glad you bumped into me. What an absolute coincidence.” 

Woojin backs away slowly but meets a wall. “Are you sure this is a coincidence becau--” 

“Of course it is,” Minhyun says through gritted teeth, smile still prominent but it looks like it’s slowly transforming into a frown. “Let hyung treat you to some food, hmm?” 

Before Woojin can decline, Minhyun grabs onto Woojin’s backpack as he drags him to the cafeteria. He doesn’t even let Woojin grab a table, as he makes Woojin stand right beside him, locking both of their arms together. Honestly, what is Woojin going to do? Run away? Tempting. But he would never dare, especially when faced with Minhyun. 

After grabbing their food, they pick a secluded booth near the large windows. Pools of natural light brighten the cafeteria and Woojin wonders why he doesn’t eat here more often. From here, the cafeteria overlooks the majority of campus and it looks absolutely striking in a blanket of snow. 

“You haven’t touched your food,” Minhyun comments and Woojin stops playing with the mashed potatoes spread all over his plate to look at him blankly. 

“I am touching it.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Minhyun says, exasperated. 

He sticks a finger into the potato and then slowly meets Minhyun’s face, challenging him. 

“You’re unbelievable.” 

“To be honest hyung, you dragged me here against my own will. I’m not even hungry.” 

“Yet you’re always hungry whenever Daniel buys you food.”

Woojin makes the unfortunate mistake of meeting Minhyun’s eyes. The latter looks at Woojin sadly. There are some dark bags that was never there before. Minhyun is _exhausted_ but Woojin knows he’s doing everything he can to look like he has his life together. 

When Woojin doesn’t respond any further, choosing to pick at his food instead, Minhyun takes it as a means to continue. “Daniel is miserable. He doesn’t know why you’re ignoring him. I know it’s not any of my business but--”

“You’re right, hyung. It’s not any of your business,” Woojin raises his voice, shocked at how aggressive he’s being. Since the day they’ve met, Woojin has never raised his voice at Minhyun. He is equally as surprised and hurt. 

“We don’t even know why you’re upset! You’re running around like a spoiled baby who’s not getting what he wants. I’m just trying to communicate with you, Woojin,” Minhyun stresses worriedly. “I want to understand why you’re so upset.” 

Woojin groans, word vomit making its way out of his mouth faster than he can process it. “I don’t expect you of all people to understand! You and Seongwoo hyung are fucking perfect.”

Minhyun frowns, crossing his arms. “Seongwoo and I are far from perfect.” 

Shaking his head, Woojin stubbornly repeats, “No. You guys are. I’ve never seen anyone as understanding of one another’s hearts and spaces.” 

Minhyun rubs at his temples in frustration. “It took us forever to get to that point. May I remind you it took us four years to get together? In the beginning, it wasn’t perfect. We fought a lot, purposely made each other mad. I didn’t think we would last a month.” At this, Minhyun scratches the side of his head thinking of the fond memory. “But we realized we didn’t want to be like that. We didn’t want to tiptoe around in our relationship, waiting to see when we’d fuck up next. So we talked about it. I remember it so clearly. We were in my room, legs crossed and holding hands as we poured our hearts out. It takes two to keep up a relationship. You have to keep communication open so you don’t hurt one another.” Minhyun reaches across the table to hold Woojin’s hand. “I care for you, Woojin. You have the right to be upset. But you do not have the right to hurt other people when you’re feeling like this.”

Minhyun is right. Not only has he been ignoring Daniel, he has been ignoring his other friends as well. They don’t deserve this, most of all Minhyun. Hopefully, Woojin can make amends with them. Hurting them in the process was not his intention.

“I’m sorry,” Woojin apologizes as sincerely as possible.

Woojin looks at Minhyun, holding back tears. Minhyun seems to understand, giving his hand a light squeeze. “It’s okay. When you’re ready, please talk to Daniel soon. He deserves an explanation.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“Soon” takes place on a Friday evening when Woojin is stuck inside writing an essay he forgot about. His chat with Minhyun was a few days ago and although Woojin meant to talk to Daniel, other things got in the way. He didn’t mean to prolong it by any means. 

The thing is, Woojin wants to be prepared. Nine out of ten times, Woojin doesn’t trust the shit coming out of his mouth. It’s much more preferable to compile a list of points on what to say before he confronts Daniel. Being taken by surprise is not the ideal situation. Woojin gets anxious and will immediately feel goosebumps forming quickly over his body. 

Daniel catches him by surprise, showing up at his front door that Friday evening, a video console in one hand and the other holding a box of pizza.

"What are you doing," Woojin deadpans, eyes going from the console, then to the pizza, before finally settling on Daniel's face. Daniel’s hair is unruly and he looks like he hasn’t gotten enough sleep for days. 

"I figured we could spend a day together," Daniel says and holds up the items like a peace offering. As far as Woojin knows, they're not exactly in a fight or anything. "I haven't seen you in awhile."

"I saw you just this morning after Business 101,” Woojin comments offhandedly before realizing his mistake. Daniel looks up at him perplexed and then something akin to hurt flashes across his face. Fuck. That was when he hopped into a passing student tour group to avoid Daniel. 

He's squirming a bit, gripping the door closer to him like it was some kind of shield, ready to charge into war (or better yet, flee).

“Can I come in?” Daniel asks hesitantly.

Nothing he can do about it now, Woojin supposes, as he swings the door open to let Daniel through. They live in an apartment style suite, each of them having their own room while sharing a small kitchenette. The two of them never close their doors unless they’re both studying, so Jihoon is immediately visible, looking like a deer caught in headlights. At his small work desk is the house of cards he’s been working on and off all semester. 

“Well, would you look at the time.” Jihoon stares at his empty wrist, haphazardly dismantling the structure to collect his cards. Woojin doesn’t have the heart to tell Jihoon how he basically ruined all his hard work on his own accord. “I have that thing. The thing that Woojin told me to do. Yup.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Daniel assures Jihoon who is doing all he can to pack quickly. Woojin sends him a murderous glare that gets largely ignored. “I was the one who came unannounced. You seem like you’re doing something important… Uh, what exactly are you doing again?”

Jihoon opens up his mouth to speak, the cogs of his brain working extra hard to find the most believable lie, but Woojin beats him to it. “He’s comparing property inflation to gambling.” Daniel looks more confused than ever. “It’s… part of our economics project.”

Jihoon nods along excitedly. “Yeah, I’m just going to go to the library to finish it off. Lots of venn diagrams and um, case studies to analyze.” Jihoon purses his lips, mind scrambling for something else to say. “Anyways, yeah! I’ll be going now… Love you guys!” 

This is just great. Leave it to Jihoon to abandon Woojin in his time of weakness. Although Jihoon’s intentions are sincere, there’s still a niggling feeling at the back of his mind that Jihoon planned for this to happen. After all, he’s the one who’s been telling Woojin to stop being an ‘egghead’ and confront Daniel. 

“That’s a strange topic,” Daniel chuckles, scratching the side of his head awkwardly. He’s now seated on Woojin’s uncomfortable as fuck dorm chair, attempting to rearrange the pens on the desk by colour. 

Woojin takes a deep breath. Calm and steady. There are not enough words to explain how nervous he feels. “You know how Jihoon is. Picks the weirdest things to prove.” 

Turning around on the chair, Daniel stares up at Woojin gently, wide-eyes, and god, his heart aches. Daniel’s face is hesitant, dark and stormy, ready to fall with a drop of a coin. It seems like they’re both trying to fight the inevitable and failing. “You were always like that as a kid too. Headstrong and trying to prove someone wrong.” 

“I’m not a kid anymore.” Woojin’s tone is curt, somewhat dismissive, and it shouldn’t catch Daniel off guard but it does. It’s the second time Woojin has hurt Daniel. All in one day. 

Daniel runs a hand over his face, exhaustion heavy in his actions. The next second, he stands up to move towards Woojin, toes almost touching. “Did I do something wrong?” Out of all the years Woojin has known him, Daniel has never sounded this desperate. “And before you say no, I know you’ve been avoiding me. I’m trying to wrap my head around it and I don’t understand. One second you’re always there and the next second you’re not.”

Woojin’s puts a hand out to stop Daniel from moving closer. His brow twitches in annoyance. Suddenly he’s overwhelmed with so many feelings, things that he’s kept hidden inside for so long, waiting to pour out at a time he knows is terrible. Woojin pushes Daniel back with force, needing space, needing to breathe. 

“Maybe everyone’s right. Maybe it’s time I should grow up. At least then, you’ll start to take me seriously.”

Daniel’s shoulder goes slack, unsure of what Woojin really means. “I’ve never been more serious about anyone in my life.” 

“Are you sure, hyung?” Woojin’s raises his voice, tone challenging, and he’s so pissed at himself for being an asshole, but he can’t stop the word vomit from spilling out. “Because as far as I know, you’re still trying to act like everything’s okay when you broke my fucking heart.” 

Confusion follows along the frown lines across Daniel’s face. “Woojin, I didn’t--I never--”

“You did,” Woojin confirms, voice breaking as he takes a step back because being near Daniel makes his head light and dizzy. “I thought the night of your birthday dinner was going along fine. I told you I loved you and you said you were glad I was your friend. What else was I supposed to think?” 

Daniel shakes his head, trying to gather the missing pieces of the other side of the story. “What makes you think I don’t love you back?”

The beat of his heart echoes loudly, his body is drumming with energy. Hesitantly, Woojin grabs the length of Daniel’s sleeve, swaying their arms in tandem, just like back when they were kids when Woojin had something important to say but didn’t know how. “You never did a long time ago and you never will now. For such a long time, you never saw me as anything more than just that gangly, awkward neighbourhood kid. I loved you for such a long time and I wanted to tell you. I even read my sister’s stupid magazines and set up all these ridiculous dates. You didn’t even treat them as dates!” 

Realization dawns on Daniel’s face and then he actually _laughs_. Now, it’s not the gentle chuckle Woojin is used to hearing. This laugh is loud and rambunctious with tears threatening to spill from the corner of Daniel’s eyes. This pisses off Woojin even more and he punches Daniel on the chest aggressively, a myriad of emotions threatening to escape. “Hey! I’m pouring my heart out to you again and you’re being a dickhead about it!”

With one long, deep breath, Daniel finally calms down enough to give a sincere smile. He takes Woojin’s hand and intertwines it happily, and pulls him in far enough so that they’re backed up against Woojin’s closet, bodies flushed. Daniel meets his gaze, eyes twinkling like he holds the universe’s secret and Woojin’s witnessing it for the very first time.

“Park Woojin,” Daniel starts cheerfully and Woojin has to hold his breath. “There has not been a day in my life where I have not been in love with you.”

Woojin’s face drops. His stomach is doing flips, something flutters and beats violently against his chest. “Don’t say something you don’t mean.”

“Minhyun hyung told me it was a date and I couldn’t wrap my head around it. You liked me? The thought was ridiculous. But I went into that night with my head held high. I was ready to tell you. That night, I was nervous. I was going to tell you how I felt. But things escalated and I freaked out, got tongue-tied, and I couldn’t word out the things I’ve been meaning to tell you all along. All this time, I thought I was the one who was chasing after nothing.” Daniel throws his head back, feeling relaxed. “Then you started ignoring me. And trust me, when someone you spoke to everyday for years starts avoiding you, there’s a terrible type of loneliness that comes about. Not only did I lose the opportunity, I lost your friendship and that was terrifying. In the end, I thought you weren’t interested because no matter what I did, you acted the same as always.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Paying for your meal. Letting you sleep on my bed. Stuff like that.”

Woojin blinks at the sudden realization. “But you always let me do that.”

Daniel raises a knowing brow. “See what I mean? I didn’t know how to cross that line without jeopardizing my friendship with you. I’m really sorry I hurt you, Woojin.”

Woojin tilts his head up, his hand gripping the front of Daniel’s shirt. “We’re both really stupid, huh.” 

Daniel hums, biting his lips and takes a second to ponder. “I should’ve just listened to Minhyun hyung.”

“Hyung knew?”

“Unfortunately, Minhyun hyung was the one who had to listen to my whining for years.” 

Woojin snickers. “No wonder he cornered me and acted like an all-knowing seer.” Daniel wraps his arms around Woojin’s shoulders and gently starts patting his head. Daniel smells so damn good. “I still can’t believe you like me.”

“Who else would willingly offer to help with your assignments. Everyone called me whipped.” Daniel beams fondly at the memory, reaching down to fix the random cowlicks sticking out of Woojin’s hair. “I mean, in the end, I guess I am.”

Woojin starts laughing. “I guess we both are.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“Why do you like me?” Woojin inches close to Daniel, ears and cheeks pink. 

They’ve been dating for a couple of months now and Woojin still can’t believe it. He’s not sure when their honeymoon phase will end, but all of their friends are already annoyed. They come to a startling realization that they pretty much act the same as when they weren’t dating. This time, it’s with more cuddling and definitely more kissing. 

(After they got together, the two of them were walking around campus holding hands when Minhyun saw the two of them and screamed out a ‘fucking finally!’ Seongwoo offered his congratulations, teased Daniel for having to date Satan, but ended it off saying he’ll be rooting for them. 

On the other hand, Jihoon almost catapulted himself out of the window. Turns out, Jihoon did not go to the library. The sneaky fucker stood outside Woojin’s door, ear pressed against the wood to listen in on their conversation. Woojin couldn’t even stay mad when he opened the door to find Jihoon stumbling in. They looked at each other and Jihoon told them he’s so happy he can finally have his room back. As if Woojin’s presence had been troublesome for him or something. Either way, Jihoon is their number one supporter. At least whenever they aren’t sucking face in front of him.)

“You’re shorter than me?” Woojin hits him. “Ow, don’t hit hyung. I’m getting old.” 

“Be serious,” Woojin whines, now sprawled out on Daniel’s lap, looking up at him as dreamily as can be. He knows the answer, anyways. He just likes teasing Daniel.

“I’m calm when I’m with you. You help bring out the best in me. You’re charming and witty. You’re hot as hell whenever you drag someone.” Woojin pinches him. “Even if I’m sometimes on the receiving end. There’s a whole lot I like about you, Park Woojin.”

Woojin motions at him to come closer. As Daniel moves his face down, Woojin reaches up to close the remaining distance between them with a kiss. 

“There’s a whole lot I like about you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you tlist for enduring my constant crying and encouraging me whenever i highkey felt like dying!! more especially thank you to j, d, and r for offering such lovely advice and for betaing. i truly don't deserve you guys. 
> 
> i hope everyone enjoys this clusterfuck of a thing i don't even know what i was writing half the time !!! wooooo


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